National / associate partner

Center for Education and Innovative Learning - STEMLab was registered in 16 May 2018. It is a non-governmental organization that consists of educators, primary and secondary school teachers, university professors, advisers, former higher education accreditation board member and teacher trainers from Republic of North Macedonia and abroad. They have experience in working in different environments with cultural diversity, different age groups and different languages, people with different professions and life-long experience. Our institution is continuously communicating and collaborating with primary and secondary school teachers, municipalities, faculties, NGO and other institutions of social importance. Our programs consist of organizing courses, tribunes, lectures, seminars and conferences on topics in the field of STEM education for students, teachers and other educators from the Republic of North Macedonia and abroad. Moreover, our focus is also in realizing joint projects with the NGO, educational policymakers, governmental sector, companies, student families, public institutions and realization of international cooperation in order to provide and ensure input for quality education at the national level. Our determination is to build a center that, in line with current trends, will provide curricula, programs, and educational tools appropriate to the 21st-century education requirements in STEM profiles, at all levels of education.

Salzburg is one of the nine federal provinces of Austria. It is located in the dynamic and economically strong region of Upper Italy-Southern Germany with close economic interdependences. Salzburg is one of the strongest economic regions in Europe. The economic and industry structure is highly diversified and dominated by family-run SME. The region is characterised by special service competence and fulfils headquarters functions for many large national and international service providers and trading companies (e.g. Red Bull). Salzburg has world-renowned art and cultural competencies and a diversified and growing R&D sector. The unit regional development and EU regional policy is based in the department economy, tourism and municipalities of the government office of the region. It is i.a. responsible for the active labour market policy as well as the matters of interregional cooperation on economic issues and the development and implementation of regional economic programmes. In March 2023 the new location strategy for the federal province of Salzburg was issued which sets out the economic policy and objectives for the next years. This strategy defines the objective to make Salzburg a model region for STEM in Austria. Recently, a new government has assumed its work. In the coalition contract 2023-2028 the government declares its commitment to implement the location strategy and thus to realize the goals as regards STEM.

The region of Salzburg was the first of the nine Austrian federal provinces that acknowledged the importance of concerted action related to STEM. In 2017 a network of all stakeholders active in that field throughout the region was established, comprising the chamber of commerce, the chamber of labour, the industrial association, the education sector, the research sector and many more. The federal province of Salzburg has been financing a coordination node within this network since then. The overall strategic steering of STEM Salzburg is rooted in the unit regional development and EU-regional policy. The location strategy Salzburg 2035 as mentioned above is operationalized through a dedicated labour market strategy. The policy makers in the government office together with the STEM network partners in the region are building their STEM-activities on the following principles: STEM sees itself as a cross-sectional task that supports all four thrusts of the location strategy (qualified people and education, highly attractive research and knowledge landscape, sustainable corporate development, modern business locations and profile building), STEM Salzburg promotes the interest of young people in STEM-related professional fields of activity and thus makes a contribution to the recruitment of skilled workers, STEM Salzburg promotes the improvement of extracurricular and school-based STEM education. In light of the growing importance of skills like creativity, entrepreneurship, judgement, change and data literacy, awareness for sustainability and digitalisation, successful participation in the labour market and in society, the partners of STEM Salzburg will align their STEM activities in such a way that they are not only dedicated to one goal (e.g. a certain specific career orientation), but always work towards several target dimensions (as the ones mentioned above). STEM Salzburg intends a high range as well a high quality of STEM-offers and to intensify the integration of art and creativity (STEAM). Thus, a quadruple and even quintuple approach is applied.

As set out above, the STEM platform is active since 2017 and has been growing since then. Salzburg was the first region in Austria to establish a STEM-network. Other regions are now starting to follow this example. Recently, the federal state has launched an initiative to grant a STEM-label to regions that fulfil certain quality criteria as regards STEM-platforms. Salzburg is most advanced and with the flagship project to become a STEM-model region the region will keep up its pioneer role vs other federal provinces. The unit regional policy and EU- regional development is closely cooperating with the federal ministries as well as the other federal provinces, involved in cross-border Interreg programmes, is managing the Interreg Alpine Space programme covering all alpine countries and active member in several work groups (one dealing with labour market and STEM) of the Strategy for the Alps – EUSALP. By using these platforms and above all the EU STEM-coalition Salzburg wants to reach out to European partners, learn from others, share best practices and step up its efforts as regards STEM.

The National MINT Forum describes itself as the "voice of MINT education" in Germany. We are an association of more than 30 large, nationally active organisations and institutes that are all involved in the field of STEM education along the entire education chain. Our members come from the following areas: Educational and corporate foundations, trade associations, university associations, non-university research institutions. Together with our members, we develop impulses and positions to strengthen STEM education for political communication. We organise parliamentary evenings, background discussions and do press and public relations work.

We basically want to build a stronger international network. The provision of education in general and STEM education in particular is still not innovative enough in Germany. We hope to gain impulses for our work in Germany through the EU STEM Coalition. In addition, many of our members, especially the foundations, are already active in the field of international cooperation - even beyond Europe. We may be able to incorporate these perspectives into the work of the EU STEM Coalition through our members.

Germany has been experiencing a massive shortage of skilled workers for years, especially in the STEM disciplines. Since 2019, the Federal Ministry of Education has launched several "MINT Action Plans" in an attempt to strengthen STEM education nationwide. Some of the state ministries are also trying to provide impetus through their own programmes. However, the massive shortage of teachers in the STEM field in particular is leading to a loss of competence among pupils. In Germany, there is a large and very active extracurricular learning scene that tries to cooperate with schools. Unfortunately, the structures and access are often difficult.

Learn IT Academy o.z. a civil association that has been operating since 2021. It works with children's education within the areas of basic computer knowledge, ECDL courses, retraining courses, 3D modelling, design and implementation, website and online store creation. Our team has expanded its scope of activities from the summer of 2022 and has started working with Lego as a development tool. We contacted kindergartens and elementary schools in the region of southern Slovakia. We offered them the opportunity to develop with Lego, in the form of specialist courses. We are currently active in 23 institutions with 6 instructors.

We are currently planning to cooperate with AGEMSOFT, which has 20 years of experience in the field of digital education, and they bring innovative products and educational projects for kindergarten, elementary and high school students. Besides that we would like to introduce the currently operating Lego Education courses in more and more schools. During the summer holidays, we would increase the popularity of STEM by organizing one-week LEGO ISLAND camps and competitions. We are also conducting negotiations with the Edulab academy about future cooperation. Our joint plans include the inclusion of LEGO in their educational materials, as well as the preparation of reviewers for the further training of teachers in schools based on the STEM guidelines. Our long-term plans include the construction of schools and kindergartens based on STEM educational principles in Slovakia.

matrix gGmbH for the promotion of democracy, participation and sustainable social development is the non-profit company of the matrix group, where a total of around 70 people work. It bundles the numerous non-commercial projects and the matrix commitment.

These include:

• projects for equal opportunities through inclusion and health promotion in social spaces,
• projects for and with young people, for example in the area of STEAM promotion.

The matrix gGmbH team works in close professional exchange with the matrix group to ensure a high quality of work, especially in the STEAM area.

One thematic and project focus at matrix is STEAM.

• As a leading partner in the MINTvernetzt project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (FMER), we are helping to establish the central nationwide contact point that supports the STEM actors with service offers, advice and networking formats.
• We are also working on the MINT Campus project, which aims to provide offers for STEAM experts on a digital learning platform (also funded by the FMER).
• We have our own matrix lab, where we want to implement STEAM education offers. Here we especially plan to address so called “easy to ignore” groups, such as children with participation restrictions, e.g. because of their gender, socio-economic or cultural background.
• In the matrix group, we are also in charge of the project Zukunft durch Innovation (zdi) on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and Science North Rhine-Westfalia (NRW). With over 5,000 partnerships with actors from science, business, schools and other education places, politics and society, zdi.NRW is the largest network in Europe for the promotion of young STEAM talent.
   

• We implement a program for career and study orientation in the STEAM sector on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and Science and the Federal Employment Agency called zdi-BSO-MINT. This involves in-depth offers for young people which are implemented by the zdi networks and school labs.
• We accompany and advise extracurricular learning venues in their development.
• We are experts in setting up and advising regional network structures to establish STEAM promotion locally.

Overall, our projects give us a high level of expertise at the interface between formal and non-formal education.

The STEAMAction Plan is the strategic umbrella for existing funding measures of the FMER. Here, people along the education chain, from kindergarten to higher education and initial and continuing training, shall experience STEAM.

There is an active STEAM scene in Germany, but it varies depending on the federal state. While in North Rhine-Westphalia, with zdi.NRW, a systematic extracurricular STEM community has been growing for almost 20 years now. The federal networking agency "MINTvernetzt", which is funded by the FMER, aims to bring the entire STEAM scene in Germany closer together and create synergies.

Riga Technical University (RTU) is the premier internationally multidiscipline technical university in Latvia. RTU is purposefully evolving to become the fourth-generation university that offers not only high-quality education, but also provides for excellent research and sustainable valorization, as well as smart digitalization. RTU also plays a major role in the development and implementation of STE(A)M initiatives in Latvia. These include initiatives focused on

a. Fostering motivation and interest, including:

• RTU Children and Youth University – to stimulate the interest of children in STEAM subjects by offering 2nd - 9th class scholars informal education lessons thus to show them their future study and career opportunities in the fields of engineering. RTU Children and Youth University is a member of the EUCU.net network, which unites and promotes cooperation between children and youth universities in Europe and elsewhere in the world.;
• RTU Children and Youth Science Center – to create an interest in engineering and natural sciences through entertaining science exhibition and workshops for providing a “hands on experience”. The opening of the center is planned for the beginning of the year 2023;

b. Creating MOOC's for STEAM subjects, including:

• Project “STEAM Lyceum” – to create MOOC’s for high school level subjects of mathematics, physics and chemistry to make them accessible anytime and anywhere for scholars and first year students. Project is being developed in a cooperation between RTU, Employers' Confederation of Latvia and private sector represented by mobile telecommunications operator and market leader in Latvia – LMT, who has already gained expertise of successful collaborations with the government, academic and startup ecosystem partners. It is planned that the Chancellery of the President, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Economics could be involved in the preparation and provision of the STEAM Lyceum. The project launch is planned for the middle of the year 2023;

c. Building community and support systems for high-achieving students, including:

• RTU Engineering High School (EHS) – is the first general secondary education establishment in Latvia that has been founded within the framework of a university. It is the place where the most talented Latvian schoolchildren will be able to acquire the study courses in exact and natural sciences at an advanced level to get prepared for the engineering studies. At EHS, special attention is paid to the integration of engineering studies and scientific research activities into the study process. The school cooperates with several leading companies from the private sector;
• RTU Talent Program – offers the best students of Latvia and graduates of EHS a place financed by the state budget in the chosen study program, an individualized study plan, lectures and seminars for the improvement of personal skills, as well as individual mentoring. The full training cycle of the RTU Talent Program has been developed for 4 years. The content of the program is designed to offer, in parallel with the formal study process, the opportunity to acquire an individual study program that is adapted in terms of content and intensity. When designing the training program, special attention is paid to enabling young people in each of the Talent programs to grow not only as professionals and develop their careers in the future, but also to become stronger as individuals;

d. Identifying issues in the STE(A)M talent pipeline, including through:

• Participation in conferences/forums – on current issues in the field of education involving leading stakeholders (The Parliament of Latvia, Ministry of Education and Science, The Ministry of Economics etc.)

The University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest higher education and scientific research institution in Slovenia. The university was founded in 1919. It has approximately 38,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students and employs approximately 6,000 higher education teachers, researchers, assistants and administrative staff in 23 faculties and three arts academies. The University of Ljubljana is renowned for its quality social and natural sciences and technical study programmes, structured in accordance with the Bologna Declaration. Its projects keep pace with the latest developments in the areas of arts, sciences and technology at home and abroad. 

In response to shortages of STEM skilled people in Slovenia, the University of Ljubljana is involved in a range of outreach activities. These include:

• Quadhelix cooperation activities with schools, Industry, NGOs and Government
• STEM activities in MakerLabs and FabLabs
• Organisation of summer and winter schools and CAMPs for children in elementary and secondary school
• Preparation of a national STEM strategy (in cooperation with other stakeholders)
• Organisation of trainings for students, parents and teachers
• Raising awareness about STEM careers and role models

Central Denmark Region is one of five regions in Denmark. The region is led by a Regional Council, consisting of 41 politicians elected every four years. The regions' responsibilities are within the areas of health, psychiatry, social og regional development. The region must secure the overall strategy and at the same time top quality services; be it in the personal educational contact at institutions or when a patient needs nerve fibre surgery.

In the field of STEM, Central Denmark Region (CDR) operates through The Central Denmark Region Technology Pact* and its triple helix partnership consisting of the educational system as well as both private and public actors. It was launched with three of the leading international STEM-companies in Denmark: Vestas, Grundfos and Siemens Gamesa Renewable. In the coming years, the pact will have an increased focus on international collaborations, where CDR will actively seek new partnerships and best practices. The overall goals of the pact are:

• To inspire young people as well as adults to choose a STEM education, learn about STEAM and work in the field of STEM
• To make the Central Denmark Region a frontrunner in the field of technology and STEM
• To inspire public and private organizations who wants to take part in promoting the STEM agenda

* More information about the Danish National Technology Pact, the Regional Technology Pact of the Midtjylland region and related strategies can be found on the publications page. 

The Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship is the national knowledge centre and focal point for the development of entrepreneurship teaching at all educational levels. The Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship works to ensure that the ability to be innovative is a fundamental element in all educations from primary school to PhD. 

The Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship is also tasked by the Danish government with the coordination of the Danish Technology Pact (Danish STEM strategy). The Danish Technology Pact is national initiative made to boost the development of STEM-competences among Danes. The Pact is founded by the Danish government. Its mission is for Danes of all ages obtain the appropriate competences for a technical and digital future, in fields where Danish competitiveness and solutions to societal challenges will rely on new technology and digital innovation. In a partnership with actors from trade and industry, educational institutions and public sector operators the Technology Pact provides a shared direction for national and local initiatives to improve STEM-competences among both students and professionals.

The Technology Pact creates a national platform for evaluation, knowledge-sharing, development, expansion and setting up initiatives that improve education in STEM-subjects and promote interest and applicacy of STEM-competences. The platform specialises in identifying, supporting and promoting educational and competence-building initiatives succesfuld in helping danes ot obtain STEM-competences. 

The Technology Pact is comissioned to run from 2018-2028 and is anchored in the four ministries of 1) Industry, Business & Financial affairs, 2) Children & Education 3) Higher Education and Science, 4) Employment. An advisory board consisting of selected members from relevant organisations decides on the strategic focus of the Technology pact. The Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship is appointed secretariatet for the Technology Pact. 6-8 people are employed at the foundation  to carry out daily operations for the pact. The Technology Pact is a part of ‘Strategy for Denmark’s Digital Growth’, which the Danish government  agreed on in February 2018. The strategy consists of 38 ambitious initiatives with the aim of making Denmark a digital front runner. 

More detailed English-language overviews of the Danish Technology Pact and related strategies can be found on the 'Publications' page.

Under the patronage of the President of Malta the Foundation for Transport was created to facilitate the transition to green technologies in all modes of transport. The foundation was co-founded by five organisations:

• Transport Malta (government regulator of transport)
• Malta Enterprise (government agency focused on the smooth roll-out of new technologies)
• Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology
• Malta Employers Organisation
• Malta Chamber of SME's (representing micro and small enterprises)

The collective goal is to provide aide to companies to change their business models and train (future) employees as well as re-train existing professionals. The Foundation will also contribute to the coordination of existing initiatives including those of the Ministry of Education (e.g. Teen Science Café), award schemes and initiatives focused on boosting women participation in STEM.

Transport has a myriad of STEM careers and to this effect, the Foundation is acting as a bridge between the education and industry to train and retrain the employees and identifying possibilities for future generations to work in transport. The foundation also cooperates with European Institute of Innovation and Technology and its Mobility Hub in Malta to enhance further this experience.

On a national level, the foundation, together with government, industry and education, is involved in designing campaigns to explain the impact of new technologies in transport on lifestyles, mobility, perceptions, work life balance, clean environment and so on. In other words: explaining on how science can improve our lifestyles.